Australia’s baby boom exceeds 300,000!

AUSTRALIA is in the midst of the biggest baby boom in our history. Final figures for 2011 are expected to show the number of births topping 300,000 eclipsing the 250,000 children born at the peak of the original baby boom in 1961.

“These numbers are absolutely unprecedented,” social researcher Mark McCrindle said.

And the rush of new arrivals will help the country hit another milestone in 2012, with the population reaching 23 million some time in July. Latest Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show Australia’s population grew 1.4 per cent over the past year  nearly one and a half times the global average.

“The debate over whether we want a big Australia or not is over, we’re getting one,” Mr McCrindle said. “Whether you like it or not, these are the numbers.”

The most recent ABS data says a new Aussie is born every one minute and 47 seconds.

But women are waiting longer to have children, with the average age of mums rising from 29 to 30 between 2000 and 2009, according to a new report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

“The proportion of mothers aged 35 and over also continues to rise  up from 17.1 per cent in 2000 to 22.8 per cent in 2009,” AIHW spokeswoman Associate professor Elizabeth Sullivan said.

The number of births has been accelerating for a decade now.

The Howard government introduced the baby bonus payment in 2002 after the fertility rate hit an all-time low of 1.7 children per family in 2001. The fertility rate is now more than two.

Mr McCrindle, of McCrindle Research, said that had produced another trend, Tween Town, with record numbers of pre-teens aged eight to 12.

The children of Generation X, they were being raised differently as their parents reacted to the “cotton-wool kids, bubble-wrap generation, helicopter parenting” of their own upbringings.

“We see this kind of pendulum in parenting,” said Mr McCrindle.

“Generation X are encouraging their kids to get outdoors more, go for the sleep-over, go on camp, expand their skills and horizons.”

The ballooning at the bottom end of the age range is being mirrored at the other, as the original Baby Boomers reach retirement age.

“We will have more 65th birthdays next year than we’ve ever seen in our history … we’re looking at more than 200,000 of them,”Mr McCrindle said.

With an ageing population and a record number of births, those in the middle will have their work cut out.

“We’re calling it the ‘carer nation’,” he said.

“There’s a shortage of aged care and a shortage of child care, but the third carer issue is the home carer.  If you take a Baby Boomer in their 60s, they might be looking after their grandkids a couple of days a week as their children work and their own ageing parents also need a lift to the doctor or some level of care.

“You have this massive and silent group of thousands, if not millions of people, with this care role. It saves the government billions of dollars and its not really recognised and respected.”

Reference: http://www.couriermail.com.au/life/families/baby-this-is-some-big-boom/story-e6frer7o-1226234071517

The Best Baby Sleep Tips Ever…

The biggest lesson I learned when I became a mum: Nothing is predictable—except for a shortage of shut-eye.  By now, you’ve heard the basic tips for making those 2 a.m. wake-up calls more bearable: You know to keep the lights low and feed your baby before you hit the sack. So what else can you do? Get clued in to some lesser-known nighttime survival strategies below:

Don’t make eye contact.

You probably know to nix playing or singing during those wee-hour feedings, but you should also avoid gazing into your baby’s eyes late at night. “When your baby locks eyes with you, it’s almost like she’s drinking a double latte-her heart rate speeds up, her blood pressure rises, and she becomes more awake,” says Alan Greene, M.D., author of From First Kicks to First Steps. Do make plenty of eye contact during the day so she knows it’s time to be awake (plus, it boosts brain development and bonding).

Regulate the temp.

You know how you sleep better when the room’s a little cooler? Well, your bundle of joy is no different. Keep your baby’s room warmer during the day and cooler at night, Dr. Greene suggests. The optimal temperature for infant sleep is between 18 and 20 degrees celcius. If you don’t have a thermostat you can control, leave the window slightly open or use a fan at night. (Just make sure your baby sleeps far away from windows and fans, and that the room never gets too hot or too cold.)

Use dimmers.

Light is one way to regulate babies’ (and adults’) circadian rhythm–the body’s internal clock. Plug your lamps into dimmer units (available at hardware stores), and when the sun goes down in the evening, lower the lights–even if your baby isn’t going right to bed. To reinforce these rhythms, make sure your home is brightly lit during the day, even if he’s napping.

Make some noise.

Don’t give your child the silent treatment. “Amazingly, the sounds they heard 24/7 in the uterus were about twice as loud as a vacuum cleaner, so babies love and need strong rhythmic noise,” Dr. Karp says. Use a white-noise machine, a radio tuned to transmit static, or a nature-sounds CD or let her sleep near the dishwasher.

Do the swing thing.

If you swaddle and use white noise and your baby’s still waking up every hour or two, add the swing to the mix. Put your swaddled baby in the reclined seat and buckle her in. “It’s a myth that you’re starting a bad habit,” says Dr. Karp, who adds that fewer than 5 percent of babies need the swing technique. You can gradually stop using it when she’s better able to soothe herself.

Cut the caffeine

You know too much java can rev you up and leave you wide-eyed. It can do the same for your little one if you’re breastfeeding. Caffeine from coffee and soft drinks can turn up in breast milk. “A large coffee drink can provide enough caffeine to affect a newborn,” Dr. Greene says. “It accumulates in his body quickly and stays with him longer than it does with you – about 96 hours.”

Fill ‘er up.

Starting at around 5 p.m., decrease the time between your child’s feedings. For example, if you usually feed her every three hours, do so every two hours in the evening. “This strategy gave my daughter a full stomach before I put her to bed and helped her sleep four- to five-hour stretches by week three,” says Louise Johnson, a mother of two from Norwalk, Connecticut.

Give nappy duty a rest.

The truth is, you don’t have to change your baby with each feeding. “If the nappy isn’t soaked through or soiled and your child doesn’t have extra-sensitive skin or existing nappy rash, skip this step,” suggests Michel Cohen, M.D., author of The New Basics: A-to-Z Baby & Child Care for the Modern Parent. Just use absorbent nighttime nappies and a thick nappy cream to protect his skin.

(Green Kids comment – creams aren’t recommended or necessary for use with modern cloth nappies!)

Bypass burping.

Many breastfeeding babies nurse less avidly at night, so it’s not a must to wait (and wait) for that little gust of air. “At night, she’ll probably be eating more slowly and therefore swallowing less air—so burping usually isn’t necessary,” Dr. Cohen explains. See how your child does without the burp; skipping just one step in the feeding routine can give you some extra shut-eye.

Hit the bottle.

If your breastfeeding newborn wakes often, make it a goal to get him used to drinking your pumped breastmilk from a bottle so you and your spouse can trade off feedings. By sharing the night shift, you both get to enjoy longer stretches of sleep.

Make over your room.

Everyone’s heard about using blackout shades in the baby’s room, but put them in your own too. You’ll sleep better at night, later in the morning, and snooze more easily during the day while your baby’s napping.

Do a quick spa treatment.

Studies done at the Touch Research Institutes at the University of Miami School of Medicine found that newborns who had a bedtime massage fell asleep faster and slept more soundly than those who didn’t have one. Before bed, give your child a 15-minute massage using slow strokes, moderate pressure, and a baby-safe oil.

Breathe easy.

One way to get into–and pass on–a mellow mood late at night? “Slow down your breathing. It sends your baby a signal to be calm,” explains Georgia Witkin, Ph.D., author of The Female Stress Survival Guide. To pace yourself, use headphones to listen to music that’s slower than your heartbeat (anything with fewer than 70 beats per minute, like a ballad), then breathe to the rhythm.

Give her a cozy sleep spot.

A bassinet can be moved into your bedroom and may improve the quality of your newborn’s snoozetime. “Babies tend to sleep better in bassinets partly because they feel safer and more enclosed there, and partly because they’re closer to their parents,” Dr. Greene says. A co-sleeper can have the same effect.

See the light.

When it’s time to rise and shine, get into bright light ASAP. “Exposure to light tells your biological clock that you should be alert,” explains James B. Maas, Ph.D., author of Remmy and the Brain Train: Traveling Through the Land of Good Sleep. Head out for a walk with your baby or sit with her by a sunny window. It’ll stimulate both of you and help you remember the one other thing that’s predictable about motherhood: No matter how tough the night shift is, the sun will come up tomorrow.

Reference: http://www.parents.com/baby/sleep/tips/best-baby-sleep-tips/ (edited for an Australian audience).

What Makes People Happy?

THE TOP 10 HAPPY LIST…

The one thing most studies on happiness agree on is this: family and relationships are the surest way to happiness.

Close behind are meaningful work, positive thinking, and the ability to forgive.

What does not seem to make people happy are money, material possessions, intelligence, education, age, gender or attractiveness.

In rough order of importance, here are the factors that make us happy and what you can do to increase happiness in your life.

THE TOP THREE…

1. Family and relationships

The happiest people spend time with those they love including family, partners or friends. Intimacy with others fulfils two basic human needs – the need for social connections with others of our kind, and the need for personal growth which makes us feel fully alive.

A simple strategy for happiness is to accept social invitations whenever possible, or to initiate social gatherings with family and friends. Face-to-face meetings make us more happy than online networking, especially because hugging and other forms of physical touch releases endorphins. So use technology to set up meetings, but get out there and hobnob the old-fashioned way.

2. Meaningful work

We are happiest when engaged in activities that make us forget ourselves and lose track of time. Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls the the “flow” experience. Flow can be achieved when making music, gardening, playing with children, practising sports, writing, or even pouring over a spreadsheet. According to Csikszentmihalyi, doing what you do best is the best way to achieve flow.

Abraham Maslow defines “self-actualisation” as the innate human motivation that each of us has to achieve our potential. We experience a sense of fulfilment when using and developing our skills, talents and abilities. When we complete a challenge or task that we are pleased with, we achieve a peak experience of self-realisation and are happy with our achievement. For that short time we have achieved self-actualisation.

3. Positive thinking

One attitude contributing to happiness is the refusal to compare yourself with others. Be content that the house you have is “enough house” instead of envying your neighbour’s bigger house. If you really have to compare, compare down and not up. For example, Olympic bronze medallists who consider themselves lucky to get a medal are happier than silver medallists who feel that they missed the gold medal.

Another useful attitude is to choose to believe the better option. For example, if your partner often works late, accept that he is overwhelmed with deadlines instead of telling yourself that he just doesn’t care enough to spend time with you.

THE REST OF THE LIST…

4. Gratitude

Perhaps this is a subset of positive thinking, yet it is such an important aspect that it deserves a place all by itself. Grateful people are happy people. Gratitude is best expressed in writing or talking. Keeping a gratitude journal or saying prayers aloud every night is a surefire way to increase your happiness.

5. Forgiveness

Those who cannot forgive become angry and depressed over time, and suffer poorer health due to the physical reactions to these negative emotions. Let go of these toxic feelings, and you increase your happiness.

6. Giving to others

Many people testify that what lifted them from depression was helping others. Whether by volunteering at a homeless shelter, holding the hand of a terminally ill patient, raising funds for charity, or tutoring children from poor families, all forms of giving take us out of ourselves and set us back on the path to normalcy and happiness.

7. Religion

A person’s specific religions belief or denomination does not seem to matter as much as the fact that she beliefs in something. Religion provides a personal creed, a direction in life, and this sense of purpose contributes to a person’s well-being and happiness.

8. Personal freedom

While everybody needs freedom to varying degrees, some people simply cannot be happy unless they determine their own fate and are left to make their own choices. For such people, choosing to quit a job in order to freelance or start their own business is a great contributor to happiness.

9. Good health

Surprisingly, health does not contribute much to happiness. Health, like money, is a hygiene factor. This means that its absence makes us unhappy but its presence tends to be taken for granted without any further increase in happiness. So keep yourself in reasonably good health so that you can enjoy life, but do not obsess over it thinking that more health brings more happiness.

10. Watching TV

This one goes against conventional wisdom. Yet studies by psychologists and economists confirm that this simple activity increases our enjoyment and happiness in the moment. While excessive TV may reduce our quality of life by taking away time from other important things, a little TV is harmless and may even be good for you

Reference: http://www.joyfuldays.com/what-makes-people-happy-the-top-10-list/

This article has been edited to suit the blog format.

Disposable Nappies & the Environment

The problem with disposable nappies, besides them being really expensive, is that they end up in landfills by the millions. These nappies take an estimated 500 years to decompose. Additionally, it takes up huge amounts of resources including wood pulp and plastic during their manufacturing. 

Fact: Americans throw away enough disposable nappies each year to stretch from the moon and back at least seven times. -Julia Butterfly Hill

Another point to note is that only a small fraction of parents wash out disposable nappies before they throw them away. This is a huge problem, because it means that millions of tons of potentially virus-infected nappies end up in our dump sites. This can result in the potential for hundreds of different viruses that are associated with the human feces seeping into our groundwater.

Disposable Nappy Alternatives

The alternative to disposable nappies are reusable cloth nappies. They can be reused at least a hundred times and will decompose in a few months. If saving anywhere from $500-$2000 a year with each child from not using disposable nappies sounds like a good idea to you, then please use cloth nappies instead.

There are a few brands of bio-degradable nappies coming onto the market, but they are generally quite expensive to use as a disposable, and the environmental cost of making them is still greater than cloth nappies.

Reference: http://www.theenvironmentalblog.org/2007/10/environmental-impact-of-disposable-diapers/   This post has been edited for an Australian audience.

What is the ideal age gap between siblings?

What is the “Ideal” Age Gap between siblings?  Is there an advantage to having a greater or smaller age difference between children? There’s a lot of advice out there advocating one or the other; some even say there’s a “perfect” length of time to wait between having kids. You may notice that people have strong opinions on the subject, though doctors, researchers and psychologists — not to mention other parents — will often tell you completely different things. Here are a few popular takes on this age-old question.

The Caveman Plan: While we were still hunters and gatherers, the average age gap was three to four years. Surprised? There’s a simple explanation: Out of necessity and practicality, mothers would breastfeed their children for 2 or 3 years, which prevented ovulation. The mother’s body also had a chance to recover, and during that time, her attention was undivided, which had a distinct advantage, as rates of survival rocketed for children with their mothers’ full care during their early years. Incidentally (or maybe not), this is still a popular age gap for many modern parents, who find it an easier adjustment both for themselves and their first children. The Biological Clock Argument: While men are fertile from puberty onward, not so for women. The ever-increasing age of first-time mums can make it feel like that so-called biological clock is ticking faster and faster. While women in their 20s may feel like they have all the time in the world, if you have your first child in your mid-30s to early 40s, you may feel like you have to secure that second child while there’s still time. Which means that some mums are shortening the gap. And it may not be a decision, anyway — some people get pregnant surprisingly easily the second time around.

The Medical Take: Pregnancy, birth and post-birth are hard phases for the body, which needs time to recuperate before a new pregnancy. Some medical research suggests that the ideal time between babies is 24 to 35 months. By that time, the mother’s body has had a chance to recover after the previous birth, as well as stocking up on vitamins and minerals. But it also still “remembers” what it’s like to be pregnant and is therefore better prepared for doing it again. If the interval is larger, especially seven years or more, scientists say that the risk for preeclampsia increases. Studies also show that babies are affected by the length of the gap. Children conceived less than six months after the previous birth are at a higher risk of being born prematurely and having a low birth weight. The same was the case for children who were conceived more than ten years after their nearest sibling.

The Psychologist’s Approach: Of course, you’ll also want to take your older child into consideration. Jeannie Kidwell, a professor of family studies at the University of Tennessee, claims the ideal time for a new sibling is either before the child turns 1 or after she has turned 4, when the risk of sibling rivalry is lowest. According to Kidwell, children under the age of 1 are not yet aware of their position within the family and thus will not feel threatened by a new child. Children over the age of 4 have already had a lot of attention from their parents and are more independent. They will also have different needs than a smaller sibling. In the end, as with most parenting issues, the best decision is whatever works best for your family.

Reference: http://www.parenthandbook.com/articles-a-to-z/topics/child-health-development/age-difference-between-siblings/

facebook bans pictures of breastfeeding mothers

Oh dear. Facebook has boobed again. You can take your company public, Mark   Zuckerberg, just don’t try to stop mothers putting up breastfeeding pictures   in a public place.

Australia’s population

Currently, Australia’s population hovers around 21.4 million. By mid-2020, IBISWorld predicts the population will reach 25.7 million – growing by around 1.5% a year between now and then. At that time, for every 1,000 people of working age (16 to 64), there will be 548 dependants – up from 511 last year, but well under the high of 635 in 1971 – and yet 45.3% of those dependants in 2020 will be over 65, compared to 39.1% in 2009 and 21.5% in 1971.

The median age of Australia’s population is 36.7 years, and IBISWorld expects this to rise to 37.9 by 2020 (compared to 27.5 in 1971), with high immigration over the past decade slowing growth in the median age. Looking ahead, net migration to Australia will total around 2.5 million between now and mid-2020, eventually becoming the only form of population growth in this country as our ageing population and comparatively low fertility rate will cause the number of annual deaths to overtake the number of babies born, probably some time in the 2030s.

Currently, more boys are born each year than girls, and yet men are more likely to die than women. As a result, there were 101 females to every 100 males in 2008. However, the life expectancy of men is catching up to that of women, meaning that the proportion will narrow to 100.6 females to 100 males in 2020.

For the year ended June 2008, a record 287,500 babies were born in Australia as the fertility rate increased to 1.91 babies per women – rising for the fifth consecutive year and the highest result since 1994 – proving we have been in the grip of a “baby boom”. However, the natural increase in the population contributes just 40.5% of our annual population growth, compared to 59.5% from net overseas migration.

According to the World Bank, in the fifty years from 1960 to 2010 Australia’s population has doubled. Australia’s population is currently growing at a faster rate than the U.S., Britain, and many developing countries. The population grows by about 443 000 per year, double the 220 000 it used to be. In the next four decades, Brisbane and Perth will double in size. Sydney and Melbourne will become sprawling mega-cities of seven million people each.  Our cities will be very different places to live in compared to 2012.

No-one can agree what is a sustainable population for Australia, so the debate goes on.  What do you think?

Green Kids is a Cloth Nappy Awards 2011 winner!!

Green Kids is proud to announce they are winners of the Cloth Nappy Awards 2011 in the category:  Favourite Australian MADE Nappy Brand!!

Green Kids modern cloth nappies are proudly designed and made in Australia, so you know the quality is good!  Thank you to all our customers who voted for Green Kids as their favourite Australian made nappy

How big was the biggest baby ever born?

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Canadian Anna Bates gave birth to a baby boy who weighed 23 pounds, 12 ounces (just under 11kg) and was 30 inches long (75cm). He was born way back in 1879, however, and died just 11 hours later. The biggest baby a healthy mum delivered was another boy, who truly tipped the scales at 22 pounds, 8 ounces (just over 10kg). His mum was Carmelina Fedele from Italy, and that was in 1955. More recently, a woman in Indonesia birthed a 19 pound boy (over 8.5kg)! That’s toddler-sized! What’s a “typical” birth weight? Well, it averages out to about 7-1/2 pounds (3.4kg) for an American baby and is pretty much the same in Australia.

In July last year, Tiarla Elekana Klimo was one of the largest babies born in Australia, weighing in at 6.85kg, or 15 pounds, and you can see her picture above compared to the average size baby.  Ouch!

re: adult nappies

Many people feel a sense of embarrassment when it comes to using adult nappies. There are many reasons why someone would need to use adult nappies. When you find yourself waking up in the middle of the night to wet bedding and wet cloths, an adult nappy or incontinence pad can be very helpful. The most common reason someone would be experiencing this problem is incontinence. This is a problem that is experienced by more than just elderly people, as most would believe. People of all ages can experience this problem. Incontinence can be experienced by someone who has just had surgery, a woman who has had a child, elderly, or someone who has weakened pelvic muscles.

Many people have suffered from the embarrassment of having an accident in public or even at a family dinner. This can be very traumatic for a person and is often just looked over and not really talked about. The best thing you can do for someone who is having incontinence problems is to make them feel like they are not alone. They often feel as though they have done something wrong or that there is no help for their problem. What most of us do not understand is that there are so many people out there who suffer from the same problem. To save yourself or a loved one from the same embarrassment of having an accident in public, please recommend they talk to their doctor. If you find that they do not feel comfortable talking to you about this issue, the doctor can help them understand the problem and will help them find a solution. Incontinence, in most cases, can be cured with the right treatment.

If this problem is a continuing issue in their life then they can learn to rely on the comfort of knowing these adult nappies can keep them from any embarrassment they would have without them. Many medical care workers have found it easier and more sanitary to use these adult nappies for their patients. They can save a lot of time and energy as far as clean up and also keeping bedding and patients much more sanitary.

There are many options available in sizes and types of adult nappies. So no matter your age, weight or height, you can find the right fit for you. The most important thing to understand about adult nappies is to know when it is necessary to use them. Do not feel embarrassed about having to use them. Just know that you are not the only one and this is a common problem experienced by people of all ages.

Reference: http://www.ubscure.com/Art/163868/91/When-is-it-Time-to-Use-Adult-Diapers.html

This post has been edited to suit an Australian audience.